Reflector device



Feb. 28, 1956 J. B. STOVALL REFLECTOR {DEVICE Filed Sept. 14,

I N VENTOR. Q/JAI? .3. 52"01/41/ ll'rToklvtx United States Patent REFLECTOR DEVICE John B. Stovall, West Hollywood, Calif., assignor of onethird to Ryal F. Clingen, Hollywood, Calif.

Application September 14, 1954, Serial No. 456,020

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-233) This invention relates to a device which is designed to aid persons in placing or dropping a liquid or the like, onto or in some part of the body. The article is more specifically adapted to aid in the use of a medicine dropper by providing a reflector carried by the the cap of the container.

Many people, when using an eye dropper, will drop the liquid inaccurately so that it drops on the face, head or clothing, thereby wasting valuable liquid and sometimes doing injury to the body or clothing.

This invention has for a primary object the provision of a container having a reflector carried by the cap that will permit the user to accurately place a drop, or drops, of liquid in the center, or one corner of the eye, in order to obtain the maximum benefit from the liquid with a minimum of waste.

Another object is to provide a reflector having an offcenter aperture to receive the glass tube of the dropper, so that the major portion of the reflector is unobstructed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a container provided with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a modified form of container and reflector.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the use of the improved device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral designates a container of any suitable size and material, adapted to contain a liquid for use in conjunction with the centrally located dropper 12.

The dropper 12 consists of a glass tube 14, having its free end 15 reduced at 15a to merge into a liquid dropping aperture 16 located close to the bottom of the container 10. The opposite end of the tube 14 is firmly engaged within the rubber bulb 17, the bulb having a bead 18 abutting the outer surface of a cap 19. The cap 19 threadedly engages the open mouth of the container 10 and is optionally provided with a gasket 20 of cork or the like to prevent leakage therebetween.

A reflector 22, which may be made of glass, but in this instance is made of metal, is held securely by frictional or other means between the inner surface of the cap 19 and the gasket 20.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the glass tube 24 may be inturned at 25 to terminate in a dropping point 27 which is located in close proximity, as at 28, to the bottom and inner wall of the modified container 30. The lower portion of the container 30 is of a substantially rectangular shape 31, so as to concentrate the fluid, when the container is nearly empty, in close proximity to dropping point 27. This insures the utilizing of the last drop of liquid in the container 30 and results in maximum value to the user.

As shown in Fig. 4, the reflector 32 is apertured at an otf-center point so as to leave unobstructed, the major part of the reflecting surface. The cap 35 is provided with an upturned annular boss 37 to support the outer end of tube 24, which extends a short distance into the rubber bulb 38. Bulb 38 abuts boss 37 to form a seal against leakage.

As shown in Fig. 5, the cap 19, with associated parts 12, 20 and 22, is unscrewed from the container 10 and raised to a comfortable position above the users eye. By means of reflector 22, the user is then able to aim the liquid accurately at the central portion or one of the corners of the eye, thereby avoiding the inadvertent dropping of the liquid on the skin, hair or clothes with resultant nuisance and wastage.

While primarily designed for depositing a beneficial liquid in the eye of the user, the improved reflector device may also be used to put drops in the ear, and also may be used for applying dye to the hair by substituting a brush for tube 14. Many industrial uses will in turn become apparent.

The showing of the invention is merely illustrative, and the right is hereby reserved to make numerous changes within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A medicine dropper comprising a tube for dropping medicine into the eye of the user, a support for said tube carried thereby having an inner face directed toward the discharge end of the tube, a reflector on said tube overlying said face, said tube having a dropping end extending away from said inner face of said support, and a free end extending from the outer face of said support, and a manually compressible bulb mounted on the free end of said tube, said support consisting of an interiorly threaded cap applicable to a container of the liquid to be dropped, and a reflector encircling said tube and facing the dropping end of the tube to enable the user to aim liquid being dropped from the tube at a selected part of the users eye.

2. A device for depositing medicine in the users eye comprising a substantially circular reflector having an aperture adjacent its periphery, a tube extending through said aperture, said tube having a medicine dropping end and a free end, a manually compressible bulb on said free end of said tube and a support for said reflector.

3. A medicine dropper consisting of a tube having a medicine dropping end and a free end, a manually compressible bulb mounted on the free end of said tube, and a cap mounted on the tube abutting said bulb, said cap being provided with a reflecting surface facing the medicine dropping end of said tube, to permit the user to aim the medicine at a selected part of his eye.

4. A medicine dropping tube having a medicine dropping end and a free end, a manually compressible bulb mounted on the free end of said tube, and means carried by said tube having a reflecting surface facing the medicine dropping end of said tube, and means on said medicine dropping tube for connecting it to a medicine container with its dropping end interiorly communicating with said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,382,771 Bowers Aug. 14, 1945 

